U.S. patent number 9,034,504 [Application Number 13/298,537] was granted by the patent office on 2015-05-19 for apparatus for preventing deformation of plastic battery pack case for a vehicle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Cheol Choi, Chi Hoon Choi, Hyun Min Kang, Myeong Gi Kim, Tae Min Park, Soo Kil Shim. Invention is credited to Cheol Choi, Chi Hoon Choi, Hyun Min Kang, Myeong Gi Kim, Tae Min Park, Soo Kil Shim.
United States Patent |
9,034,504 |
Kang , et al. |
May 19, 2015 |
Apparatus for preventing deformation of plastic battery pack case
for a vehicle
Abstract
Disclosed is an apparatus and method for preventing deformation
of a plastic battery pack case for a vehicle, in which the side of
the battery pack case is subjected to reverse deformation to absorb
the deformation occurring after compression molding and to ensure
the dimensions of a mounting portion of various components
including battery packs, thereby ensuring an internal space of the
battery pack case. To this end, the present invention provides an
apparatus for preventing deformation of a plastic battery pack case
for a vehicle, the apparatus including: a base having a case
insertion space; a fixing portion for fixing a battery pack case
inserted into the case insertion space; and a deformation producing
portion inserted into the battery pack case and preventing the case
from being deformed by pressing the inside of the case to be
reversely deformed in the lateral direction.
Inventors: |
Kang; Hyun Min (Gyeonggi-do,
KR), Choi; Chi Hoon (Gyeonggi-do, KR),
Choi; Cheol (Gyeonggi-do, KR), Park; Tae Min
(Busan, KR), Kim; Myeong Gi (Busan, KR),
Shim; Soo Kil (Busan, KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kang; Hyun Min
Choi; Chi Hoon
Choi; Cheol
Park; Tae Min
Kim; Myeong Gi
Shim; Soo Kil |
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do
Busan
Busan
Busan |
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A |
KR
KR
KR
KR
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hyundai Motor Company (Seoul,
KR)
Kia Motors Corporation (Seoul, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
47710593 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/298,537 |
Filed: |
November 17, 2011 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20130059187 A1 |
Mar 7, 2013 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Sep 7, 2011 [KR] |
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10-2011-0090936 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
429/100 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60L
50/64 (20190201); H01M 50/20 (20210101); B60K
1/04 (20130101); B60L 58/26 (20190201); Y02T
10/70 (20130101); Y10T 29/49826 (20150115); Y02E
60/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01M
2/10 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;429/100 |
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
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10006785 |
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Jan 1998 |
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JP |
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2009083600 |
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Apr 2009 |
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JP |
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10-2005-0022604 |
|
Mar 2005 |
|
KR |
|
10-2006-0037738 |
|
May 2006 |
|
KR |
|
Primary Examiner: Gilliam; Barbara
Assistant Examiner: Essex; Stephan
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and
Popeo, P.C. Corless; Peter F.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for preventing deformation of a plastic battery
pack case for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a base having a
case insertion space; a fixing portion for fixing a battery pack
case inserted into the case insertion space; and a reverse
deformation producing portion inserted into the battery pack case
and pressing inside of the case outwardly so as to prevent the case
from being deformed inwardly by contraction when it is cooled after
compression molding, wherein the reverse deformation producing
portion comprises: a reverse deformation applying block disposed to
be in contact with the inside of the case to outwardly deform the
side of the case; a ratchet handle for generation a rotational
force; and a bolt portion and nut portion for converting the
rotational force of the ratchet handle into a linear movement force
to press the side of the case and transmitting the linear movement
force to the reverse deformation applying block.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fixing portion comprises:
an upright portion fixed to the base; an operating lever connected
to the upright portion and an arm portion through link members by a
hinge structure and generating a rotational force; the arm portion
connected to an upper end of the upright portion by a hinge
structure and converting a rotary motion of the operating lever
into an up-and-down linear motion; and a pressing portion mounted
on the front end of the arm portion and fixing a mounting portion
of the case by receiving the up-and-down linear motion converted by
the arm portion, wherein as the pressing portion is connected to
the front end of the arm portion to slide toward the outside of the
case, the case is prevented from being deformed inwardly, while the
side of the case can be deformed outwardly by the reverse
deformation producing portion.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fixing portion comprises a
plurality of fixing portions provided on edges of the base along
vehicle body mounting portions of the case at regular
intervals.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reverse deformation
producing portion is inserted into the case by a support frame
connected to the base by a hinge structure to outwardly deform the
side of the case.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the support frame comprises a
guide member arranged in the width direction of the base, the guide
member being inserted into a shake prevention guide arranged in the
width direction of the base at regular intervals to prevent the
case from being shaken when reverse deformation is applied to the
case.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(a) the benefit of
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0090936 filed Sep. 7, 2011,
the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND
(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing
deformation of a plastic battery pack case for an electric or
hybrid vehicle. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus for
preventing deformation of a plastic battery pack case, mounted on a
lower portion of a vehicle, after compression molding.
(b) Background Art
In general, a battery pack case assembly mounted in a vehicle, and
more particular in an electric or hybrid vehicle includes a battery
pack, a battery management system, a blower, an upper cover, a
lower case, structure reinforcing members, etc. While the upper
cover does not receive a load and thus can be formed by a typical
plastic composite molding process, the lower case and the structure
reinforcing members are formed of steel formed by press molding to
bear the load of a battery received in the case.
However, a technique for replacing the steel material of the
existing lower case with a plastic composite material has been
developed to reduce the weight of the vehicle, which is disclosed
in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/039,806. A plastic battery
pack case 1 for an electric vehicle, which is formed of a plastic
composite material, typically has an upwardly open box structure.
As shown in FIG. 1, the plastic battery pack case 1 comprises a
case body 2, which accommodates various components required for the
operation of an electric vehicle battery including a plurality of
battery packs, and a mounting portion 3, which projects from the
edge of the case body 2 to the outside and is fastened to the lower
portion of the vehicle through insert-molded nuts. The plastic
battery pack case 1 is mainly formed of a composite material
comprising a matrix containing polyamide and polypropylene and
reinforced with glass fibers and carbon fibers by a compression
molding process.
Moreover, the plastic battery pack case 1 may be formed by an
in-line compounding/extrusion deposition and molding process as
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,444,153B1 and 6,165,604A.
However, the polyamide and polypropylene mainly used in the matrix
are semi-crystalline polymers and deformed by contraction of the
polymer matrix after molding. Such deformation is related to the
degree of crystallization of the material depending on the thermal
history. After compression molding, heat transfer does not occur
uniformly in the plastic battery pack case, and thus a difference
in cooling rate occurs to produce a tension in the cooling solid,
thereby causing deformation. Therefore, the compression-molded
plastic battery pack case 1 is deformed by contraction after
compression molding, and thus it is difficult to ensure the proper
internal space for mounting the case, which makes it difficult to
easily mount the battery packs.
In other words, as the battery pack case 1 contracts in the
longitudinal and width directions after compression molding, the
internal space for accommodating the battery packs is reduced, and
thus it is very difficult to mount the battery packs in the
case.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only
for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention
and therefore it may contain information that does not form the
prior art that is already known in this country to a person of
ordinary skill in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present invention provides an apparatus for preventing
deformation of a plastic battery pack case for a vehicle, in which
the side of the plastic battery pack case is subjected to reverse
deformation to absorb the deformation occurring after compression
molding and to ensure the dimensions of a mounting portion of
various components including battery packs, thereby ensuring an
internal space of the battery pack case.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for
preventing deformation of a plastic battery pack case for a
vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a base having a case insertion
space; a fixing portion for fixing a battery pack case inserted
into the case insertion space; and a deformation producing portion
inserted into the battery pack case and preventing the case from
being deformed by pressing the inside of the case to be reversely
deformed in the lateral direction.
In an exemplary embodiment, the fixing portion may include an
upright portion fixed to the base; an operating lever connected to
the upright portion and an arm portion through link members by a
hinge structure and generating a rotational force. The arm portion
may be connected to an upper end of the upright portion by a hinge
structure and converting a rotary motion of the operating lever
into an up-and-down linear motion. Furthermore, a pressing portion
may be mounted on the front end of the arm portion. A mounting
portion of the case may be fixed by receiving the up-and-down
linear motion converted by the arm portion. As the pressing portion
is connected to the front end of the arm portion to slide toward
the outside of the case, the case may be prevented from being
deformed inwardly, while the side of the case can be deformed
outwardly by the reverse deformation producing portion.
In another exemplary embodiment, the fixing portion may also
include a plurality of fixing portions provided on edges of the
base along vehicle body mounting portions of the case at regular
intervals. The reverse deformation producing portion may include a
reverse deformation applying block disposed to be in contact with
the inside of the case to outwardly deform the side of the case; a
ratchet handle for generating a rotational force; and a bolt
portion and a nut portion for converting the rotational force of
the ratchet handle into a linear movement force to press the side
of the case and transmitting the linear movement force to the
reverse deformation applying block. The reverse deformation
producing portion may be inserted into the case by a support frame
connected to the base by a hinge structure to outwardly deform the
side of the case.
Furthermore, the support frame may include a guide member arranged
in the width direction of the base, the guide member inserted into
a shake prevention guide arranged in the width direction of the
base at regular intervals to prevent the case from being shaken
when reverse deformation is applied to the case.
Other aspects and exemplary embodiments of the invention are
discussed infra.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features of the present invention will now be
described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments
thereof illustrated the accompanying drawings which are given
hereinbelow by way of illustration only, and thus are not
limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a plan view and a side view showing a typical structure
of a plastic battery pack case for an electric vehicle, which is
formed of a plastic composite material;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a process of inserting a
plastic battery pack case into an apparatus for preventing
deformation of a plastic battery pack case for an electric vehicle
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
and applying reverse deformation thereto;
FIG. 3 is a plan view and a side view of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a fixing portion and a shake
prevention guide of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the operation of a front-rear
reverse deformation applying block of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the operation of a left-right
reverse deformation applying block of FIG. 2; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the position of a strand of a
carbon composite composition in a mold when a plastic battery pack
case is formed by an in-line compounding/extrusion deposition and
molding process.
Reference numerals set forth in the Drawings includes reference to
the following elements as further discussed below: 1: case 2: case
body 3: mounting portion 4: strand 10: base 11: support 12: shake
prevention guide 13: fixing portion 14: operating lever 15: upright
portion 16: arm portion 17: pressing portion 18: first link member
19: second link member 20: reverse deformation producing portion
21: ratchet handle 22: handle rod portion 23: rotating portion 24:
bolt portion 25: nut portion 26: reverse deformation applying block
27: thrust bearing 28: radial bearing 29: sprocket 30: chain 31:
driving portion 40: support frame 41: support plate 42: upper frame
42: side member 44: lower frame 45: guide member
It should be understood that the appended drawings are not
necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified
representation of various preferred features illustrative of the
basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of
the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example,
specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be
determined in part by the particular intended application and use
environment.
In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent
parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of
the drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Hereinafter reference will now be made in detail to various
embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While
the invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary
embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not
intended to limit the invention to those exemplary embodiments. On
the contrary, the invention is intended to cover not only the
exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives,
modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be
included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by
the appended claims.
It is understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other
similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in
general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility
vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles,
watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and
the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other
alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuels derived from resources other
than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a
vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both
gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.
The above and other features of the invention are discussed
infra.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a process of inserting a
plastic battery pack case 1 into an apparatus for preventing
deformation of a plastic battery pack case for a vehicle, e.g., an
electric or hybrid vehicle, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention and applying reverse
deformation thereto, and FIG. 3 is a plan view and a side view of
FIG. 2.
The present invention provides an apparatus for preventing
deformation of a plastic battery pack case 1 (hereinafter referred
to as a case), which can prevent deformation of the case 1
occurring after compression molding, thus ensuring a proper
internal space for the case 1 for accommodating battery packs.
According to the apparatus for preventing deformation of a plastic
battery pack case, it is possible to prevent deformation of the
plastic battery case 1 due to contraction after compression molding
so that after the compression-molded, case 1 is fixedly mounted in
the internal space provided in the deformation preventing
apparatus, the side edges of the case 1 are subjected to reverse
deformation toward the outside of the case 1 and rapidly cooled by
air circulation.
To this end, the apparatus for preventing deformation of a plastic
battery pack case in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention comprises a base 10 for receiving a product, a
fixing portion 13 for fixing a mounting portion 3 of the case 1,
and a reverse deformation producing portion 20 for preventing
deformation due to contraction after compression molding. The base
10 has preferably a rectangular structure having a flat surface at
the top to fixedly receive a product, i.e., the case 1 for
accommodating of battery packs. However, the shape of the base 10
is not limited to a rectangular shape and can be any shape capable
of fixedly receiving the product.
A support 11 is provided at each of four edges of the base 10 to
fixedly receive the mounting portion 3 of the case 1. Here, a case
insertion space is provided between the supports 11 disposed at the
four edges of the base 10. When the case 1 is inserted into the
case insertion space, the mounting portion 3 of the case 1 can be
supported by the support 11.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a fixing portion 13 and a shake
prevention guide of FIG. 2. A plurality of fixing portions 13 are
provided on or adjacent to the support 11 along the edges of the
case 1 at regular intervals to fix the mounting portion 3 of the
case 1 placed on the support 11. The mounting portion 3 of the case
1 corresponds to a portion where the case 1 is mounted on a lower
portion of the vehicle.
Generally, the plastic battery pack case 1 formed by a compression
molding process is deformed toward the inside of the case 1 due to
contraction immediately after the case 1 is removed from a mold.
Here, the fixing portion 13 functions to fix the mounting portion 3
of the compression-molded case 1 to minimize the contraction of the
product until the case 1 is subjected to reverse deformation.
Moreover, the fixing portion 13 fixes the mounting portion 3 of the
case 1 inserted into the case insertion space to prevent the case 1
from contracting inwardly but at the same time allow the case 1 to
move outwardly, thus allowing reverse deformation of the case 1.
Each fixing portion 13 includes an upright portion 15 fixedly
provided in the vertical direction, an arm portion 16 projecting
from an upper end of the upright portion 15 toward the mounting
portion 3 of the case 1, a pressing portion 17 connected to the
front end of the arm portion 16 and pressing the mounting portion 3
of the case 1, and an operating lever 14 connected to the upright
portion 15 by a hinge structure and pressing and releasing the
pressing portion 17.
The arm portion 16 may be a hinge-connected to the upper end of the
upright portion 15, and be configured to convert the rotational
force generated by the operating lever 14 into an up-and-down
motion, transmit the up-and-down motion to the pressing portion 17,
and guide the movement of the pressing portion 17 toward the
outside of the case 1.
The operating lever 14 is connected to the upright portion 15
through a first link member 18 and connected to the arm portion 16
through a second link member 19. An upper end of the first link
member 18 is connected to a lower end of the operating lever 14,
and a lower end of the first link member 18 is connected to the
upright portion 15 by a hinge structure. The second link member 19
is located inside the first link member 18 and operated
independently from the first link member 18. An upper end of the
second link member 19 is connected to a lower end of the operating
lever 14, and a lower end of the second link member 19 is connected
to the arm portion 16 by a hinge structure.
The operation of each fixing portion 13 is as follows. When the
operating lever 14 is pulled toward the outside of the case 1, the
rotational force of the operating lever 14 is transferred through
the arm portion 16 into a descending force (i.e., pressing force)
of the pressing portion 17 mounted on the front end of the arm
portion 16, and thus the pressing portion 17 presses the mounting
portion 3 of the case 1 by the pressing force, thereby fixing the
mounting portion 3 of the case 1 to the support 11.
Conversely, when the operating lever 14 is pushed toward the inside
of the case 1, the rotational force of the operating lever 14 is
transferred through the arm portion 16 into an ascending force
(i.e., releasing force) of the pressing portion 17, and thus the
pressing portion 17 is separated from the mounting portion 3 of the
case 1 by the releasing force, thereby separating the case 1 from
the fixing portion 13.
Moreover, as the pressing portion 17 is slidably inserted into the
front end of the arm portion 16 toward the outside of the case 1,
the pressing portion 17 is blocked by the front end of the arm
portion 16 and thus cannot move toward the inside of the case 1.
Therefore, when reverse deformation is applied to the case 1 to
ensure proper internal space of the case 1 in a state where the
pressing portion 17 fixes the mounting portion 3 of the case 1, the
case 1 is prevented from being deformed in a direction opposite to
the contraction direction of the case 1.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the operation of a front-rear
reverse deformation applying block of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is a
perspective view showing the operation of a left-right reverse
deformation applying block of FIG. 2. The reverse deformation
producing portion 20 prevents or minimizes the deformation
occurring in the case 1 after compression molding by applying
reverse deformation to the case 1.
By reverse deformation it is meant that the case 1 is deformed
toward the outside of the case 1, which is deformed inwardly by
contraction when it is compressed molded and cooled, and the
application of the reverse deformation means that the mounting
portion 3 of the case 1 is pressed from the inside of the case 1 to
the outside such that the case 1 is deformed outwardly. To this
end, the reverse deformation producing portion 20 includes a
reverse deformation applying block 26 for pressing the inside of
the mounting portion 3 of the case 1, a driving portion 31 for
operating the reverse deformation applying block 26 to apply
reverse deformation to the mounting portion 3 of the case 1, and a
support frame 40 for supporting the reverse deformation applying
block 26 and the driving portion 31.
The reverse deformation applying block 26 is disposed on each of
four inner sides of the case 1, after the case 1 is fixedly
inserted into the case insertion space of the base 10, to receive
the pressing force generated by the driving portion 31 and press
the inside of the mounting portion 3 of the case 1, thereby
deforming the case 1 outwardly. The reverse deformation applying
block 26 may have a rectangular rod structure in which the length
is greater than the width and height, and the height and length of
the rectangular rod may be determined depending on the size of the
case 1. For example, the height of the rod may be smaller than or
equal to the depth of the internal space, and the length of the rod
may be smaller than or equal to the length of the mounting portion
3 of the case 1.
The driving portion 31 includes a ratchet handle 21 for generating
a rotational force, a bolt portion 24 and a nut portion 25 for
converting a rotary motion into a linear motion, and a sprocket 29
and a chain 30 for transmitting the rotational force. The ratchet
handle 21 has a handle rod portion 22 having a long rod shape and a
rotating portion 23 provided at the bottom of the handle rod
portion 22 and rotating. The handle rod portion 22 is held by a
worker to manually rotate the ratchet handle 21 left and right and
may have any shape other than the rod shape as long as it can
rotate the rotating portion 23 to generate torque.
The rotating portion 23 may have a circular tubular structure, in
which a plurality of gear teeth are formed at regular intervals on
the inner circumferential of the rotating portion 23 to transmit
the torque generated by the handle rod portion 22 to the bolt
portion 24 (in the form of a shaft). Thus, the rotating portion 23
can be engaged with one end of the bolt portion 24 through the gear
teeth.
A plurality of bolt portions 24 and a plurality of nut portions 25
are provided on the base 10 at regular intervals in the
longitudinal direction of the reverse deformation applying block
26. As each bolt portion 24 is screw-connected to the nut portion
25, the bolt portion 24 converts the rotary motion of the rotating
portion 23 generated by the ratchet handle 21 into the linear
motion, and thus the bolt portion 24 itself moves forward and
backward.
A plurality of gear teeth are formed on one end of the bolt portion
24 such that the bolt portion 24 is engaged with the rotating
portion 23. At the same time when the bolt portion 24 is rotated
together with the rotating portion 23, the bolt portion 24 can move
forward and backward in the lateral direction of the case 1. For
example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the ratchet handle 21 is
rotated right, the rotating portion 23 rotates, and thus the bolt
portion 24 rotates in the same direction as the ratchet handle 21.
At the same time, the bolt portion 24 moves forward to the outside
of the case 1 and presses the inside of the case 1, thereby
reversely deforming the case 1.
On the contrary, when the ratchet handle 21 is rotated left, the
rotating portion 23 rotates, and thus the bolt portion 24 rotates
in the same direction as the ratchet handle 21. At the same time,
the bolt portion 24 moves backward to the inside of the case 1 to
release the pressing force applied to the inside of the case 1.
The nut portions 25 are fixedly mounted on the reverse deformation
applying block 26 at regular intervals such that one end of each
bolt 24 is inserted into each nut portion 25. Thus, the nut portion
25 can rotatably support the bolt portion 24 and linearly move the
bolt portion 24 in the lateral direction of the case 1.
Moreover, the other end of each bolt portion 24 is fixedly inserted
into one end of the reverse deformation applying block 26 to
transmit the forward and backward operating force from the bolt
portion 24 to the reverse deformation applying block 26. Here, when
the other end of the bolt portion 24 is connected to the reverse
deformation applying block 26, a radial bearing 28 and a thrust
bearing 27 are mounted on the inside and the outside of the reverse
deformation applying block 26, respectively, such that the reverse
deformation applying block 26 can bear the load in the radial
direction of the bolt portion 24 (in the vertical direction of the
shaft) through the radial bearing 28. Moreover, the reverse
deformation applying block 26 allows for a rotary motion of the
bolt portion 24 during contact with the bolt portion 24 through the
thrust bearing 27 and receives the linear movement force from the
bolt portion 24.
The plurality of bolt portions 24 and nut portions 25 may be
arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the
reverse deformation applying block 26 so as to uniformly transmit
the linear movement force of the bolt portion 24 to the reverse
deformation applying block 26. Moreover, the sprocket 29 and the
chain 30 may be interposed between the ratchet handle portion 21
and the nut portion 25 so as to uniformly transmit the rotational
force generated by the ratchet handle 21 to the plurality of nut
portions 24 at the same time. For example, the sprocket 29 is
located between the rotating portion 23 of the ratchet handle 21
and the nut portion 25 to connect to the bolt portion 24, and the
sprockets 29 are connected together by the chain 30. Therefore,
when the ratchet handle 21 rotates, the bolt portion 24 connected
to the rotating portion 23 of the ratchet handle 21 rotates, and
thus the sprocket 29 connected to the bolt portion 24 rotates.
Thus, the rotational force is transferred to the sprockets 29
connected to adjacent bolt portions 24 through the chain 30, and
the rotational force of the sprockets 29 rotate other bolts 24 at
the same time. As a result, the rotational force of the ratchet
handles 21 is uniformly transferred to the reverse deformation
applying block 26 through the bolt portions 24.
The support frame 40 supports the reverse deformation applying
block 26 and the driving portion 31 and functions to confine the
reverse deformation applying block 26 and the driving portion 31 in
the case 1. The support frame 40 includes a plurality of support
plates 41 disposed on the bottom to support the reverse deformation
applying block 26 and the driving portion 31, a lower frame 44 for
connecting and supporting the support plates 41, and a side member
43 and an upper frame 42 for rotating the lower frame 44 to insert
the reverse deformation applying block 26 and the driving portion
31 into the internal space of the case 1.
Here, the support plates 41, the lower frame 44, the side member 43
and the upper frame 42 are integrally connected and operated, and
the support frame 40 including these components is connected to one
side of the base 10, for example, to the rear end of the base 10
(i.e., the right end when viewed from FIG. 2), by a hinge
structure. Thus, the support frame 40 can rotatably insert or
remove the reverse deformation applying block 26 and the driving
portion 31, which are located on the bottom of the support frame
40, into or from the case 1.
Moreover, a guide member 45 is connected to one upper end of the
support frame 40, and a shake prevention guide 12 is disposed on
one end of the support 11 to correspond to the length and interval
of the guide member 45 so as to prevent the case 1 from being
shaken when the support frame 40 is closed, that is, when the
reverse deformation applying block 26 and the driving portion 31
are inserted into the case 1 to apply the reverse deformation.
Therefore, when the support frame 40 is closed, the guide member 45
is fastened to the shake prevention guide 12, thereby preventing
the case 1 from being shaken when the reverse deformation is
applied to the case 1.
Next, the operation and effect of the apparatus for preventing
deformation of the plastic battery pack case 1 according to the
present invention will be described.
After the case 1, which is used to accommodate the battery packs
and mounted on the lower portion of the vehicle, is formed by
compression molding, the compression-molded case 1 is inserted into
the case insertion space of the base 10 such that the mounting
portion 3 of the case 1 is received on the support 11 and fixed by
the fixing portion 13. Here, when the operating lever 14 of the
fixing portion 13 is pushed up toward the inside of the case 1, the
rotational force of the operating lever 14 is converted into the
pressing force by the arm portion 16, and thus the pressing portion
17 connected to the front end of the arm portion 16 presses the top
of the mounting portion 3 of the case 1 by the pressing force,
thereby fixing the mounting portion 3 of the case 1.
When the fixing portion 13 fixes the case 1 as the pressing portion
17 is slidably inserted into the front end of the arm portion 16
toward the outside of the case 1, it is possible to prevent the
case 1 from being deformed inwardly by contraction until the
compression-molded case 1 is subjected to reverse deformation and
then allow the case 1 to be deformed outwardly. Then, in order to
ensure the internal space of the compression-molded case 1, the
support frame 40 is pulled down such that the reverse deformation
applying block 26 and the driving portion 31 are inserted into the
case 1, and the reverse deformation applying block 26 is moved
toward the outside of the case 1 by the driving portion 31, thereby
applying the reverse deformation to the case 1.
When the ratchet handle 21 located on each of four inner sides of
the case 1 is rotated to apply the reverse deformation to the case
1, the rotating portion 23 formed at the bottom of the ratchet
handle 21 rotates in the same direction as the ratchet handle 21,
and thus the rotational force of the rotating portion 23 is
converted into the linear motion by the bolt portion 24 engaged
with the rotating portion 23, thereby transmitting the pressing
force of the bolt portion 24 to the reverse deformation applying
block 26. Then, the reverse deformation applying block 26 presses
the mounting portion 3 located on the inside of the case 1 toward
the outside of the case 1 such that the case 1 is reversely
deformed, thereby preventing the compression-molded case 1 from
being deformed by contraction and ensuring the internal space of
the case 1.
To ensure the internal space of the case 1, the bottom and side of
the case 1 is rapidly cooled while applying the reverse deformation
to the case 1. At this time, the bottom of the product is brought
into close contact with the base 10 of the deformation preventing
apparatus such that the case 1 is easily fixed and cooled, and air
circulation may be performed for more rapid cooling.
Even when the plastic battery pack case 1 processed in the above
manner is removed from the deformation preventing apparatus and
left as it is, the case 1 is deformed less than or equal to the
reverse deformation, and thus it is possible to ensure a
suitable/proper internal space of the plastic battery pack case 1
at a desired level.
Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the
following examples, but the present invention is not limited to the
same.
EXAMPLE
A plastic battery pack case 1 was formed by an in-line
compounding/extrusion deposition and molding process in a manner
that a strand 4 of a carbon composite composition containing 74.2
wt % polyamide 6, 25 wt % PAN-based carbon fiber, 0.5 wt %
butylbenzene sulfonamide, 0.2 wt % phenol-based oxidation
stabilizer, and 0.1 wt % ethylene bis stearamide (EBS) and having a
relative humidity of 2.8 measured by a sulfuric acid method (96%)
was disposed as shown in FIG. 7. The thus formed plastic battery
pack case 1 was cooled for 5 minutes while applying the reverse
deformation to the plastic battery pack case 1 using the
deformation preventing apparatus according to the present invention
and then naturally cooled at room temperature for 24 hours. Then,
the size of the product was measured from four sides, and their
means and standard deviations are shown in Table 1.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE
A plastic battery pack case 1 was formed by an in-line
compounding/extrusion deposition and molding process in a manner
that a strand 4 of a carbon composite composition containing 74.2
wt % polyamide 6, 25 wt % PAN-based carbon fiber, 0.5 wt %
butylbenzene sulfonamide, 0.2 wt % phenol-based oxidation
stabilizer, and 0.1 wt % EBS and having a relative humidity of 2.8
measured by a sulfuric acid method (96%) was disposed as shown in
FIG. 7. The thus formed plastic battery pack case 1 was naturally
cooled at room temperature for 24 hours. Then, the size of the
product was measured from four sides, and their averages and
standard deviations are shown in Table 1.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Width (mm) Height (mm) Standard Standard
Classification Average deviation Average deviation Example 932.59
1.38 1295.70 1.71 Comp. Example 924.76 3.38 1246.74 5.14
Referring to FIG. 1, the average width and height of the case 1 to
which the reverse deformation is applied in the Example is greater
than that of the case 1 in the Comparative Example, and the
standard deviation of the case 1 in the Example is smaller than
that of the case 1 in the Comparative Example. Therefore, according
to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the plastic
battery pack case 1 from being deformed inwardly by contraction
until the compression-molded case 1 is subjected to reverse
deformation using the fixing portions 13 which can move outwardly
and then allow the inside of the case 1 to be deformed outwardly
using the reverse deformation applying block 26 and the driving
portion 31 for operating the same, thereby absorbing the
deformation occurring after compression molding and ensuring a
suitable internal space of the case 1 for accommodating the battery
packs and other components.
The invention has been described in detail with reference to
exemplary embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these
embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the
invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *